Helping those in need
by Vonjo
Summary: Vait has settled in well into the League and his relationship with Ziggs is going great. But one day something weird has happened in Bandle City and he has to figure things out there. What is the cause? And what can he do about it? (Continuation of "Changing one's life".)
1. Strange illness?

**Hello friends and welcome to my second story "Helping those in need"! It's certainly been a while, but the first chapter is finally ready!**

 **If you haven't read my first story "Changing one's life" I would recommend you to do that, because there the character Vait gets introduced and the relationship with Ziggs develops.**

 **This story focuses less on said relationship and more on another problem. But of course it will have some of that Vait x Ziggs!**

 **But for now I hope you enjoy this first chapter!**

I looked at the Yordle that was walking besides me and smiled. It's been quite some time since we've become a couple, but it still feels so surreal to me. As if it all was just an amazing dream. But I guess it isn't. This is the reality. And I love it so much!

"Helloooo, you there Vait? Are you even listening to me?" I blinked several times as Ziggs waved one of his hands before my face. I must have stared at him for quite some time.

"Oh, um... Of course I'm listening!"

"Really? Then tell me what I was just talking about, cutie~" He grinned as brightly as usual.

"Something something bar... Something something I will tooootally enjoy it..." It was just a guess, really. But considering that it took Ziggs almost the entire week to persuade me into accompanying him it was quite obvious that he'll talk about nothing else on our way there.

"Thaaat... Is actually a good guess! Not bad!" I chuckled quietly and then he continued talking.

"But trust me, you'll really like it! You don't even have to drink anything to have fun! You can witness Jax and Gragas drinking contest! I mean, it isn't really a challenge for Gragas, but it's fun nevertheless! Oh, and you see drunk me! I know you love drunk me~"

"No, I don't love drunk you. I think I dislike the drunk you the most."

"Aww, why's that? I'm fun when I'm drunk!"

"I guess that depends on how you define fun... Last time we were together at a bar and you were drunk you started undressing yourself while dancing on the counter."

"Oh yeaaah, I remember that! Good times! But you should have especially enjoyed that, no~?" He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Ugh, you know very well that I wasn't in love with you back then, so it was more embarrassing, really."

"So you mean I shouldn't do that again this time?"

"Preferably not."

"Alright, I'll try my best! No promises, though! Hehe!"

We continued walking for a little while until we saw a familiar figure running towards us. It was the secretary of the League, Angela. Once it was clear that she was looking for us, Ziggs smiled brightly and waved towards her.

"Helloooo there Angela! How can we help you on this fine day?" It took her a little while to catch her breath again. It seems like she has looked for us for quite some time now.

"H-hello... Vait, we have a little problem..."

"A problem? What is it? Did I do something wrong?"

"N-no, nothing like that! But... I think you should see it for yourselves, follow me please!" Angela started running back. Ziggs and I looked at each other for a second before we followed her. Soon we arrived at her office and once we went inside we were greeted by tons of letters.

"Wow... Sooo many! For who are all of these?"

"They are for Vait." I looked at her with a disbelieving smile on my face, but once I saw her serious look I knew she wasn't kidding.

"Wait, really? Why would I get so many letters?" I have gotten some letters already, some of them were fan mails, some of them asking me to help someone. But this was on a whole 'nother level.

"Hehe, looks like someone has gotten a lot of fans, eh?" Ziggs poked my side with his elbow and chuckled quietly.

"I've looked through some of them and almost all came from Bandle City. I assume that something's going on there."

"Okay, thank you very much, Angela. We'll just... Take those with us, I think." After we picked up all the letters we made our way back home to look through some of them. After a few of them it became very apparent what the problem was.

"Another one... And another one... Yep, it looks like they're all the same, Vait! All of them say that many of the Yordles in Bandle are suddenly experiencing huge pain."

"But that's weird... Not one of them says anything about other symptoms... It's only about the pain. I've never heard about something like that. But that doesn't matter right now. I have to go there and help them!" I stood up and began to collect some of the things in our home that could be useful for this task. Ziggs also stood up and followed me around.

"You mean we, right? I'll come with ya!" He smiled, but I just turned around with an uncomfortable look on my face.

"Uhm... Well, you see... I mean, not to sound rude, but I don't think you could help me much over there? So I think it would be better if you stayed here." My voice became gradually quieter, hoping that Ziggs would understand.

"Oh. Okay. I get it." His usual happy tone was gone.

"Ziggs..."

"Haha, gotcha! No, I really understand! I would probably just distract ya with my weird stuff! So it's fine!" He smiled again and sounded much happier.

"Thank you Ziggs, you're the best!"

"Of course I am! Buuuut you absolutely have to write me if it takes longer than one day! Cause I would get worried otherwise... Oh, and I guess the others would also like to know what happens back at home, so there's that!" I chuckled quietly. Ziggs is so carefree about himself, but when it comes to others he gets worried so easily.

"Fine, I'll do that. Could you help me gather some of my stuff that could help me there?"

"Suuuure thing!" He then began to run around and picked up everything that could remotely help me. But I ended up putting half of these things away again because I had these still in my home back in Bandle. Once I had everything that I thought would be useful we left our house and Ziggs began talking once more.

"Okay cutie! Have fun on your mission to save all of Bandle and be careful!"

"Geez, I really don't think that it's so bad. I'm sure it'll take just a few of my potions and everyone will be up again!"

"Haha, I sure hope so! But even if it's harder than that, I know you can do it!" He gave me one of his warm smiles which made me smile as well.

"And now go, you cute little hero! Hehe~" He pushed me forwards a little.

"Will do! See you soon, Ziggs!" I made my way to Angela's office once more to tell her that I'll be gone for a little while. I didn't want Ziggs to know it, but I am a little scared. I have never heard of something like that. Sudden pain with no other symptoms? And like half of Bandle is affected by it? That does sound pretty weird...

But I pushed that thought away for the time being. I'm pretty sure that I'll get more answers once I see the affected Yordles and can properly examine them. With those reassuring thoughts I opened the door to Angela's office and started to explain the situation to her.

"Hey Angela. So, it turns out that something bad is happening in Bandle City, so I would like to go there and see if I can be of any help."

"Yes, I thought that something's not right, so I already contacted one of our mages and told him that he should open up a portal to Bandle for you. It should be right outside the League." She smiled warmly. I was pretty impressed. She really is like a super secretary!

"Wow, thank you very much! I appreciate it!"

"No problem! And now go, the Yordles are waiting for you." I nodded and waved her goodbye. I left her office and quickly made my way outside. Once I left the buildings of the League and looked down I already saw the portal that was opened for me. I quickly went down the huge stairs, careful not to trip. And then I stood before the portal. I mentally prepared myself, because it was always a weird feeling to use one of those things. I closed my eyes and stepped forward, feeling kinda weird and dizzy for a second. Once I opened my eyes again I was indeed back in Bandle City, but something felt off. It was way to quiet. During this time of the day the streets of Bandle are usually filled with happy Yordles that talk about all kinds of stuff. I looked around, but I did not see a single Yordle anywhere. Suddenly all my fears and worries came rushing back to me.

"Is it... Really that bad?" But before I could think longer about it I finally heard another voice.

"Ah, it is good to see you Vait!" I turned around to where the voice came from and smiled gladly once I saw the face of the mayor.

"The pleasure is all mine! It was kinda scary to not see anyone here!"

"It is a weird feeling indeed. Now then, I would love to chat a little more, but I think it would be better if we start as soon as possible, yes?" I simply nodded and the mayor began walking towards the hospital. I followed him quickly.

"So, the only symptom that the patients show is the sudden pain? Nothing else? You know, like coughing? Maybe they feel nauseous? Or a fuzzy feeling? Anything could help identifying the issue faster!"

"I believe that the pain is the only symptom, yes. At least none of them have complained about anything else. We have also already tried one of your potions that you left for us. It helped for a very short time, but then the pain came back."

"I... see." The mayor must have seen that I was a little worried now, because he immediately tried to cheer me up again.

"Ah, but I am certain that you will find a solution to this problem, like always."

I simply nodded and then we finally reached the hospital. Once we went inside I saw a few of the nurses running around in a hurry, seemingly unaffected by the pain. Of course I asked them about the patients as well, but they didn't know more than the mayor. After that I went ahead and asked some of the patients myself. I had no luck with the first few, so I decided to ask one last Yordle. But when I went inside the room I was caught by surprise.

"Oh... Hey dad!" He looked up and I saw him smiling a little.

"Hello Vait! I'm... happy to see you!" His voice sounded a bit weak, but I was still glad to see him. I sat down on his bed and then he began talking again.

"You are... Here to help with the pain, right?"

"Yep, exactly. You don't feel ill or anything, right? It's just the pain?" He nodded slightly, just as I expected.

"Maybe something weird happened before the pain began? Anything you remember?"

"No... It just... suddenly hurt... Nothing out of the ordinary occurred, as far as I remember..." I sighed quietly, but still smiled and stood up.

"Thanks dad! I'll do my best to help you all as quickly as I can!"

"I know you will." I waved him goodbye and then left the room. The mayor was waiting at the entrance for me.

"Ah, there you are. Did you get any new information?"

"No, sadly I didn't."

"As I expected. A shame. But I assume that you will still try to find a cure for it?"

"Of course! As soon as I'm home I'll begin to work on it!"

"Great! Thank you very much, Vait! I am glad that you are always here to help, even though you are a Champion now. If you need my help for anything you know where to find me. I hope to hear from you soon."

And with those words he left me. And as soon as he did, the confident look on my face also left. I had no idea what caused the pain, and my potions only worked for a short time. Sure, I had some ideas of what I could do, but what if those wouldn't work, either? Now I kinda wished that Ziggs would have gone with me. He would have cheered me up. But that doesn't matter right now!

I walked back to my home and swiftly went into my room. I picked up all the books in there that explained all kinds of diseases in detail and quickly read the pages that had rarer diseases as the topic, but I soon realised that none of them fitted the description. I closed the book and put them back in their place, and then I looked at my desk with all my brewing equipment.

"Great... Then I guess it'll come down to trial and error..."

I sighed and sat down on the chair that I spent so many hours on. I decided to brew several potions and then try them on different patients to see if any of them helped. I was very concentrated on my work, but suddenly I heard a noise from downstairs.

"... Uh... Hello? Mum, is that you?"

I waited for a response, but nothing of the sorts came. I thought that maybe I was just hearing things because of the stress and turned my attention back to my potions. But after a little while I saw a shadow forming in front of me, and before I had time to look behind me I felt a sharp and sudden pain on the back of my head and I lost my consciousness...

 **Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! If you have any kind of feedback or anything else, just write a review! It's always great to read those!**

 **Sadly I won't be able to upload this story as regularly as my last one. I can't promise that I will be able to upload a chapter every week, but I will try my best to get them done as soon as possible!**

 **Thank you and have a nice day!**


	2. A day with Ziggs

**Heya friends! This chapter is written from Ziggs' point of view! I hope you enjoy it!**

I opened my eyes and looked next to me, only to find a blank space there.

"Aww... He hasn't returned yet!" Guess it isn't as easy as he thought it would be.

"Oh well, can't be helped!" I jumped out of the bed and began my morning routine. Once I was finished and ready to go I made my way to the cafeteria to meet up with the others. But like always I already made plans for the rest of the day while I was walking.

"Hmm... Now what to do today? No battle for me as far as I'm aware of... No cute Yordle named Vait to make plans with... Ah! I could spend some time with friends that have come short in the last time!" Yeah! I've spent much of my free time with Vait, so I didn't really have that much time for all of my friends. Heimy especially! I haven't talked to him in ages! Great opportunity to talk to him about that little rivalry with Vait, too!

"Good job, Ziggs! Sometimes I wonder how a single Yordle can be this smart AND handsome at the same time! Haha!" I laughed and soon I entered the cafeteria. As always when Vait isn't with me I ended up being way too early, so basically no one else except me was there yet. It took a while until all the others, but once they did they immediately began asking me about him.

"Heya Ziggs! Where's Vait? I don't think that he's in a battle right now, right?"

"Maybe he's not feeling well? We should go visit him!"

"Or maybe Ziggs and Vait had an argument and now they don't like each other anymore!" After Lulu said that I decided to speak up.

"Whoa wait wait wait! Those are some weird assumptions y'all are making! Why would you think that anyway?"

"Oh, I always guess the least possible thing! It's much more surprising for all the others when it really is true~" I didn't know what to say to that. She really is one weird Yordle, and that says something coming from me!

"Well, then tell us where Vait is, Ziggs!"

"Ah, right right! He's in Bandle because something's wrong there! He got tons of letters, and almost all of them said that many of the Yordles there suddenly experience huge pain!"

"Hm... That is weird!"

"Yes it is! They should've also asked the true hero of Bandle City to come along!" Rumble smiled proudly, but Tristana just shook her head and smirked.

"Riiight, and what would the "Hero of Bandle City" have done against said pain?"

"Oh... Uhm... Ah, I would have raised the morale! That is pretty important, you know?"

"Sure, I bet THAT would cure them instantly. Anyway, I'm surprised that you didn't insist to come with him, Ziggs! Sounds like something you would do."

"Weeell, I tried to, but Vait said that I won't be much of a help, which is probably true! I would just distract him with my awesomeness! Haha!"

"You can be quite distracting, that is true. But aren't you a little worried about him? Maybe someone else should have accompanied him?" Aww, Trist can be so thoughtful!

"Naaah, I trust in him! And also I'll get a letter from him later if he doesn't finish it today! So no worries!"

"Then I guess it's alright." I nodded and we talked a bit about all kinds of different topics. After I drank my coffee and ate my breakfast I said goodbye to the others and then decided to go straight to Heimy! I've always looked up to that guy! He's sooo smart. But once I got to know him better I realised how different we are! He is always so stern! Sometimes I find it hard to talk to him at all. But I like him nevertheless! It's always a blast to talk about bombs or stuff related to bombs with him! Even though he's often serious and all that, I know that deep down he's a good soul that just wants to make the world better with his inventions!

Soon I reached his house and knocked on the door with my signature smile, but no one answered.

"Hm? Isn't he home?" I tried knocking once again and waited. It took a while, but this time the door opened and revealed a rather annoying looking Heimy.

"Who is it? Oh, it is you, Zigmund. What a pleasant surprise that is." His expression changed almost entirely as soon as he saw me. I kept smiling brightly and waved.

"Hi there Heimy! Nice to see you too! Buuut haven't I told you to just call me Ziggs? Zigmund sounds pretty lame, right?"

"I do recall that, yes. But I also recall asking you to not call me "Heimy", yes?"

"Aww, but Heimy is sooo much easier and more fun to say than Heimerdinger!" He sighed and shook his head.

"Ah, as lively as ever, I see. Now then, I assume you came to me to talk about something, yes? Why don't you come inside for now?"

"Alright, sure thing!" I went inside and looked around. It was pretty messy, something that was untypical for Heimy.

"Oh, were you working on anything right now?"

"Indeed I was. Your timing is certainly splendid. I would appreciate your help." Suddenly I got all excited. If he wants my help that means it has something to do with bombs. Or anything else that explodes, really.

"Sure! I'd love to!... Buuut can we talk first and then explode stuff... I mean work on stuff?"

"Very well, we shall do that first then. What is it that you want to talk about? I assume it has something to do with Vait, yes?"

"Wow, good guess!"

"It was not really a guess. It was quite obvious to me that you would want to talk about... that incident that happened. I am terribly sorry, you were not the target I intended to hit."

"Ah that? No worries! It all turned out preeetty okay! Hehe! Aaanyway, I just wanted to tell you that there isn't any secret or something in Vait's ability to make potions! I know him for a looong time and there never was something that should help him with his potions!"

"However, do you not agree that it is strange how his potions are better than the potions of everyone else? Is there any other explanation for it?"

"Not really!" He looked at me and raised one of his eyebrows, so I continued to talk.

"But there are lots of things we can't explain, right? So maybe we shouldn't try to understand each and every single little thing in this world and instead try to be happy that it exists in the first place! Vait has helped countless people with his awesome ability! Shouldn't we appreciate that instead of trying to forcefully understand it?" It looked like he thought about my words for a second before he nodded.

"Hmm... You do make a good point, my dear Zigmund. Perhaps I really overdid it. I have to reflect on that later on." Wow! That went better than expected! Usually Heimy is pretty stubborn, but it looks like I made a good argument this time!

"Great! Now theeeen... Can we go to the fun exploding stuff now?" I jumped up and down like an excited kid and Heimy just giggled quietly and nodded.

After a long day of working on new inventions that sadly didn't explode I said goodbye to Heimy and left his house. I decided to go check our home first to see if Vait is back already. If he isn't then I'll go to the secretariat to read the letter he wrote me! Once I got home I immediately began shouting.

"Heeeello Vaaait? Your favorite Yordle in the whooole world is back!" I waited for a little while, but got no response. I then went upstairs to see if he maybe fell asleep, but he wasn't there, either.

"Well, looks like he isn't back yet!" But he should at least have written a letter by now! So I hurried back to Angela to ask her about it. I entered the secretariat and waved.

"Hi there Angela! Saaaay, you don't happen to have a letter for me? Coming from Bandle maaaybe?" I smiled happily, but she thought about it for a second and then shook her head.

"No, At least I don't remember seeing one of those today... I could look once more for you?"

"Y-yeah, that would be nice!" That can't be right, right? It's been over a day, Vait should've written me by now! Angela looked at a few letter again, but shook her head one more time.

"Sorry Ziggs, nothing for you here."

"I-i see... Well, thank you anyway Angela!"

"No problem! See you!" I left the secretariat and looked at the ground.

"Something's definitely wrong... Vait wouldn't just break a promise like that!" Before I realised it I began walking. I didn't know where I was going, I was just walking. Walking has always helped me with thinking, but this time my head just felt empty. It didn't help at all, but soon I bumped into another person.

"Oh, hey Ziggs!... Hey, is something wrong? You look... kinda down?" Ha, Rumble just knows me too well! Or maybe I really am looking sad...

"Heya Rumble! It's just that Vait hasn't written the letter yet, even though he isn't home yet! But he promised to do that if it takes longer than one day!"

"I see... Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much! I'm sure it's just because he is so busy right now! He probably had no time or simply forgot it because of his mission!"

"Nooo, you don't get it! Vait would never ever simply forget something like this! He always keeps his promises!"

"Well then maybe the letter will arrive soon? It's not like it will just magically appear here once he sent it here."

"But... That's exactly what would happen. You know they use magic to send letters from other places to the League and vice versa, right? It would take waaay to long if someone would bring them all here!"

"Oh... Well, not like I receive any fan mail or have anyone to write to like you guys, so no, I didn't know that." Oh wow... Now I feel more sad for him than myself. But he continued talking immediately.

"Anyway, it could also be that all the magic letter people in Bandle are experiencing the pain. There are many explanations why the letter isn't here. So I wouldn't worry about it too much." I guess he's right. I shouldn't worry. At least not yet.

"Yeah... You're right! Thanks Rumble! You're the beeeest!"

"Haha, I know that! If you need anyone to talk to, you know where you'll find me! Bye now!" He said his goodbyes and then walked off. I smiled and made my way home again, now much calmer. But once I got closer to my home that calmness vanished once more as I saw Vait standing there! I ran to him and hugged him!

"Hi there Vait! Man, I was starting to worry because you weren't here earlier and there wasn't a letter from you and that was kinda scary! But now you're here again which is great!" I grinned brightly, but that grins vanished as quickly as it came once he began talking.

"Yes, I am Vait and totally not Neeko! Hi there, Ziggs!"

"... Neeko?" And suddenly the appearance of Vait began to disappear and instead of him Neeko was standing there.

"Aww, you found out! Neeko is getting better at impressions, right?"

"Yes that was... good..." Man, what a bummer... I really thought that was Vait!

"But... Something weird."

"Weird? What's weird?"

"Well, Neeko trains her disguises often, so by now Neeko knows the Sho'ma of everyone well. But Vait Sho'ma felt weird today, so Neeko wanted to see him. But he not here. Is Vait on vacation?"

"It felt weird? Weird how exactly?" I didn't understand much of that Sho'ma stuff, but I knew it had something to do with their spirit or something like that.

"Well, usually Vait Sho'ma is all happy and joyful, like most Yordles! But today it felt... empty? Yes! Empty describes it well! So Neeko worried! Something happened to Vait? That's usually it when Sho'ma changes so suddenly!"

"I... have to go..."

"Go? Go where?" But I didn't answer her. I just ran.

"Man, Yordles are strange!"

There are days where I don't like the fact that I'm such a helpful guy, but today certainly was not one of them. I knocked on the door of the huge house and after a while a man opened.

"Ziggs? What do you want? It's kinda late, you know?"

"Yes yes, I know! But I need a portal to Bandle like right now!"

"What? What for?"

"Doesn't matter! You still owe me for that one time I used my cute Yordle charm to help you get a date with that one girl, remember?"

"Of course I do... But have you even asked if you are allowed to leave?"

"No, and I know that that's wrong, but please, it's really, really important!"

"... You can get into a lot of trouble if they find out."

"Yes yes, I don't mind! Hurry up and open it! Now!" He shook his head, but still opened that portal up reluctantly.

"When they ask, I had nothing to do with this, got it?" I nodded and then entered the portal. A moment later I found myself in Bandle. But something was already weird. I saw many people walking around and talking. Shouldn't they be ill? Did Vait already help them?

"Ah, Zigmund! That''s a surprise! Is there any specific reason you're here?" I turned around and saw that the mayor of Bandle was talking to me.

"Where's Vait?" I didn't have time for long explanations.

"Vait? I thought he went back to the League already? The pain that many of the Yordles experienced suddenly stopped and I thought that once he heard that he went back."

"So he didn't even do anything to help? It just disappeared?"

"It would seem so, yes. But what are you..." I didn't let him finish. I left and headed straight to Vaits house.

"... Zigmund? Ah, he's always been a strange one..."

I knocked on the door once I got there and Vaits father opened the door.

"Ziggs? What brings you here?"

"Hi there! I assume you don't know where Vait it, right?"

"No, isn't he back in the League?" I shook my head.

"No, that's why I'm a little worried!" Understatement of the year, Ziggs!

"Hm... Sorry, but I have no idea where he could be right now..."

"Well, no worries! I'll find him! Can I come in for a minute? Maybe I'll find something in his room that could help me find him!" Of course he let me in and I rushed to Vaits room. But I didn't see anything that could be a clue. The only thing that stood out was one of his vials on his working table. It looked like he used it recently.

"So he was here... He always cleans up after he's finished, so something must have interrupted him..." But that didn't really help me figure out anything. I left the house and looked around.

"Now what? Where should I even begin searching? I have no lead!" But then a small girl came up to me.

"Uhm... Excuse me mister? You are looking for Vait, right?"

"Yes! Do you know anything?"

"Well... Yesterday I saw a Yordle carrying a large bag coming out of this house... I don't think it was Vait who came out, though... Maybe that could help?"

"Yes yes yes! Please tell me you saw where that Yordle went to!"

"Uhm... He went into that forest that the adults always warn us about..." She pointed in the direction.

"Oh thank you sooo much! That'll help me greatly! I owe you!" I started running into that forest.

I'll definitely find you, Vait!


	3. The cause

**Heya friends! Welcome to chapter 3! I hope you enjoy it! Have a nice day y'all!**

I opened my eyes and immediately closed them again once I felt a massive pain on the back of my head. I rubbed that spot a little while until it felt better and then opened my eyes once more.

"...Where?" I looked around, but didn't recognize the room I was in. It was... pretty sad looking actually. It was pretty dark in here. Only a small lamp was giving off light. There was a bed and a shelf. Nothing else really. But why was I here anyway? Did I get... kidnapped? Who would do that to me? And more importantly: Why?

Well... I guess that doesn't matter right now... I slowly stood up and stepped towards the door. I didn't expect it to open, but it was worth a try I guess. I quietly pushed the door handle, trying not to make any sounds. And to my surprise the door actually opened. I carefully looked outside to see if anyone was there. And I indeed saw a silhouette. It must be the person that brought me here, right?

I looked at him a little longer. He seemed to be busy or something. At least it didn't look like he's looking away from the table he's sitting at anytime soon. I probably could sneak by him if I was really quiet. But that stupid natural Yordle curiosity got the better of me. I just had to know why I was kidnapped. Even though it was probably a bad idea. I took a deep breath and started talking with a shaky voice.

"Uhm... hey?" Probably not the best way to greet your kidnapper, eh? But it got his attention at least.

"Oh, you're awake... Hello." He stepped forward and now I could get a good look on him. It was another male Yordle with dark green fur. He was slightly taller than me. But what really caught my attention was his face. He looked REALLY tired. Maybe he couldn't sleep because he felt guilty or something? Either way, now I felt kinda sorry for him.

"I'm really sorry that I knocked you unconscious... And I'm even more sorry that I brought you here... I just... Didn't know what to do..." Wow, that has to be the nicest kidnapper ever.

"You didn't know what to do? What do you mean?"

"It's easier to just show you... Please follow me..." He started to go into another room, clearly exhausted. I followed him and looked around some more. I wasn't just the room I woke up in that looked kinda sad. The whole house was furnished rather sparse. We then entered a room that was looking a little nicer. At least the furniture was. There was someone lying in the bed. The closer we got to this other person, the sadder my kidnapper looked. And then we stood before the bed. Now I could see the similarities between the two. The Yordle that was lying before me also had dark green fur. And it looked like they were roughly the same height as well.

"Is that..."

"That's my brother..."

"I see. So what's wrong with him?" He did look rather underfed. And it also didn't look like he's simply sleeping.

"I dunno! He got really sick all off a sudden, and for like five days now he's asleep! I tried everything to help him get better, but it was no use! He got worse and worse and now I don't know what I should do! I can't sleep at all when he is in that state! I worry too much!"

"... So that's why you brought me here. But couldn't you have brought him to the hospital? I think they would have been able to take good care of him, right?"

"I guess so. But when he was awake he told me that he would get better alone. That it would not be necessary. And now that he's in a coma I can't do it anymore."

"You can't? But you brought me here, right? I think if you were able to do that, then carrying your brother to the hospital wouldn't be hard at all!"

"That's not the issue... It's just..." He didn't continue. I looked at him and saw that he was staring at the ground. Whatever troubles him must be quite hard for him.

"Uhm... You don't have to tell me if you don't want to! That's fine!" For a small moment he had a smile on his face.

"You are way too kind to a filthy kidnapper like me... But no. You deserve to know everything. I'll start with my name. Maybe that'll say something to you already. My name is Ezyo."

"Ezyo? I... do know that name, yes. But I really don't know when and in which context I heard it..."

"That's understandable. It's been many years since the day my name was relevant in Bandle. I was a teenager back then. A teenager with a gift. Or a curse, depending on how you look at it..."

* * *

There I was. Kneeling before my parents. Tears running down my cheeks. I did that, didn't I? Why did I do that? How did I do that? Why can I do that? Why can't I control it? I wanted to scream, but I couldn't make a sound. I was just too shocked. Too shocked about the fact that I'm such a monster. I heard someone coming down the stairs. It had to be Leno. He'll hate me. He'll despise me. He should probably kill me before I do it again.

"Mum? Dad? Is everything alright? I heard you screa-" And then he saw them. Now he was the one screaming. I can't blame him. Who wouldn't do that? Yes, who wouldn't do that except the monster that caused this. It felt like an eternity until he calmed down. And I can't blame him for that, either. And then he looked at me. I looked back, expecting hatred. Maybe it were the tears that were blurring my vision, but it didn't look like hate. More like... pity.

"You... did that, right?" I simply nodded. Yes, it had to be me. There was no other possibility. I am the one who has this power! And I am the one who can't control this power. It happened before! Of course it was never as bad as this time, but it happened...

I saw Leno slowly getting closer to me. I thought he would punch me. Spit on me. Kick me. Yes, I would deserve all of that. But he didn't do any of these things. He... hugged me. Of all the things he could do to me, he chose to hug me!

"It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself." ...Is that it? Is that his way to make me suffer? Maybe that really was a better method than punching me. It certainly made me angrier. So I pushed him away from me, stood up and began shouting at him.

"Not my fault? I shouldn't blame myself? I killed our parents! I **KILLED** them! They are gone forever! And it's my fault! I'm a terrible murderer! Why aren't you yelling? Why aren't you angry? Tell me why!"

"Because... It really isn't your fault... You didn't choose that power, right? You didn't mean to hurt or kill anybody, right? Those things just happened... I know that you must hate yourself so much right now... But you have to see that you couldn't do anything against it!" I couldn't believe my ears. He really means those things, right? He's a fool...

"I... should've killed myself." I mumbled that, but he must've heard me.

"That's ridiculous! How would you have known that your power is that strong? And don't forget that mum and dad always supported you, even when your powers caused trouble again! If they wanted you gone, they wouldn't have done that!" Once again I began crying. I ran to Leno, hugged him and cried on his shoulder.

"I'm a monster! Please forgive me!"

* * *

"But of course he had already forgiven me... He wasn't angry in the first place. Sad about our parents, yes. But he didn't blame me at all..." I saw Ezyo smiling and looking to Leno. After a brief pause he continued with his story.

"It didn't take long for others to find our parents. All the screaming must have alarmed them I guess. Anyway, the mayor deemed me too dangerous and so I was exiled into the forbidden woods next to Bandle. I was scared. Scared because of all the creatures that were rumored to live here... But even more scared to be alone in here."

"... Because of the things that happen to a Yordle when he is alone for too long, right?"

"Correct..." That's what I thought. Yordles often go insane when they are isolated for a long time. Veigar is a prime example for this.

"But I never was alone. Leno decided to come with me. He gave up his normal life in Bandle and joined me into the forest. And life really wasn't that bad here once I got over my self-loathing phase. We even trained and now I can control my powers! "

"I see... And the reason why you couldn't bring him to the hospital is because you were exiled from Bandle! And you also kidnapped me just to help him!"

"Yes, but there was one more thing that I did... I... was the cause for the weird pain that many of the citizens in Bandle felt..."

"Well, that explains that weird phenomenon at least... But why did you do that as well? And more importantly: How?"

"It was the only way I could think of to lure you back to Bandle. Leno often talked about you, you know? He was fascinated by you and your work and whenever he went to Bandle to get food and stuff he always talked to some of the other Yordles there. He loved to learn more about you and the heroic things you've done. And one day he heard that you got accepted into the League. Of course he was happy for you. The same goes for me. It was always fun when Leno got home and began talking about you. But once Leno got sick and eventually fell into coma, I knew that I'd need your help. But how should I ask you when you are so far away? And that's when I thought about using my powers to make some of the Yordles feel pain. I knew they wouldn't be able to treat it by themselves, so I hoped that they would ask you to help them. And I guess it worked, so hooray...?" He laughed awkwardly for a moment, but then sighed and shook his head.

"Look, I know this whole plan was just one big mess, and I certainly wouldn't blame you if you just go away and tell all the others in Bandle about it. But I just had to do it. Leno saved my life multiple times. So now it's my turn to try everything in my might to help him. If that means that I'll become a criminal and get thrown into prison, so be it. But in the end it's your decision. I won't force you to help me. Just do what you think is right."

"No... I'll help you. I understand why you did all of this. It probably wasn't the best way to do it, but I don't think that I would have acted much differently if I were in your situation." No, actually I know that I wouldn't have acted differently.

"Really? Even after all the bad things I've done to you and the others? You really are way too kind..." He came to me and gave me a hug. It was an awkward hug, but I returned it. He probably needed it right now.

"Oh, and you don't have to worry about the others in Bandle! I stopped the pain by now, so everything should be fine there!"

"You can just simply do that? That's pretty cool! But how does it work exactly? It's not like an illness, right?"

"No, it's nothing like that! It's kinda hard to explain... Think of it as a placebo! I can make them think that they experience pain, even though there isn't really any pain. But because they think it's there, it becomes real. At least for them."

"Wow... That's... kinda scary. And you can kill with that as well?"

"Well... I really dislike doing that because of that day... But yes, in case of need I can use that power to kill as well."

"That's..."

"Hard to believe, eh? Well, I don't blame you. I probably also wouldn't believe it if I couldn't do it. But manipulating the mind of someone and making them think something is happening really is quite powerful. I've read about an experiment that was once carried out on a prisoner. Said prisoner was blindfolded, strapped to a bed, and had small wounds applied to his toes to drain his blood. That prisoner was left alone in the experiment room, as the sound of dripping blood echoed throughout the room. But in fact, his blood was not being drained. He was just forced to listen to the sound of dripping water. But he believed he was bleeding to death. However, in spite of that, the prisoner still died. It's... At least kind off similar to my power..." That's... pretty cruel... But I guess it does make sense...

"Oh, sorry for being such a mood killer! I just like to talk about my power! I can get pretty talkative when someone asks me about it!"

"Haha, no worries! It's the same for me and my potions, really! So, before I start I need a few more information. Did something happen before Leno became sick?"

"I... don't think so, no... He suddenly became sick, ate much less and didn't feel well... And after a few days he... fell into coma..."

"I see..." Not much information, but I think that I have the right potion for this occasion.

"Okay, we'll have to go and get my brewing set before I can start!"

"Gotcha! Then we'll..." We suddenly heard a loud knock on the door.

"Are you... expecting somebody or...?"

"Ha, literally never!"

"Then... Who is it?" We went downstairs and Ezyo opened the door. My eyes widened once I saw who was the one knocking.

"Z-ziggs?"


	4. Preparations

**Heya friends! Another chapter that is written from Ziggs' point of view! Have fun!**

"Forbidden woods! Ha, yeah right!" As a child the adults always told us to stay away from this forest. But did that stop me from going here? Absolutely not! And what did I find? Absolutely nothing! Well, at least no big monsters that could crush my whole body with a single blow! I did see some squirrels though! Those were pretty cute!

"Argh, what are you doing, Ziggs? Stop thinking about stuff like that! It's totally fine if you get distracted while testing bombs, but this is important!" I slapped myself and shook my head.

"Ah, much better! Now... If I were a stupid kidnapper that kidnapped the best yordle in the whole world, where would I hide?" So I continued searching. But it turns out that it's a little bit more complicated to look for two yordles in a big forest than I anticipated.

"Hmm... It's no use... I can't search through the whole forest... I need another hint." I tried looking around once more to see if I could find anything that would help me right now. And I indeed saw something that caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. It was a mark on one of these trees. And as I looked forward, I saw that all the trees behind this one also had those marks. Maybe those were for the kidnapper to know where he has to go?

"Well, it ain't much, but it's better than nothing I guess!" So I followed those marks. Man, it seemed like I walked for an eternity and they still wouldn't stop! I was starting to get impatient, and that is something that happens very rarely! But eventually the marks stopped and I was standing before a house.

"This is it, right? So, how should I go in there? Maybe I'll just explode my way in! Yeah!... Buuut what if it isn't the kidnapper's house? That wouldn't be very good. And what if Vait got hurt? That would be even worse!" I usually have no problem at all to explode my way into stuff, like the time those piltover professors got kidnapped and I saved them! But this was different. The house looks rather brittle, so I think even one small bomb from my Hexplosive Minefield would bring it down.

"I guess I'll... just knock?" Not much else I can do. So I knocked hard on the door and waited. It took a while but eventually someone opened the door. I didn't see who it was, though, because my eyes immediately darted towards another yordle that was standing in the room.

"Z-ziggs?" Aww, he sounded so surprised! He probably didn't expect me to come and save him!

"W-what are you-" But I didn't let him finish that sentence. I ran to him and hugged him tightly.

"Don't worry, cutie! I'm here now! Did he hurt you? Did he do anything to you? I'll blow him up if he did!"

"No, he-" This time the other yordle interrupted Vait.

"So, I assume you two know each other?" I heard his tired voice and turned towards him. I saw him smiling which made me even more furious.

"How dare you have the audacity to smile after you've kidnapped someone? You've picked the wrong target, buddy! Cause you don't want me as an enemy!" I sounded quite threatening, but he didn't look scared at all. Wait, now that I looked at him... he looks kinda... familiar? We yordle usually have bright fur, so dark green fur like his is pretty memorable.

"Wait, don't I know you?"

"Do you? I certainly don't remember you."

"No no, I'm sure!... Waaaait, you are that one yordle that accidentally killed his parents, aren't you? Ezyo, right?" I guess I remembered correctly judging by his silence and his now closed eyes. My memory is amaziiiing!

"I knew it! I always thought banishing you to the forbidden forest was not the right answer, but I guess I was wrong! You seem to be a criminal after all!"

"Ziggs stop!" I turned back towards Vait and looked at him with a confused face. It's pretty rare for him to get that loud.

"Stop? But why? He kidnapped you, didn't he?"

"No... I mean yes... kinda... it's... hard to say, really..." It looked like he thought about it for a moment before he sighed and continued.

"Look, yes, I guess he did kidnap me, but he didn't do it for something evil! He needs my help!"

"Well, couldn't he have asked someone el-... Oh..."

"Yep, you see why he couldn't do that, right?" I nodded silently. Man, that whole banishing thing seems even more harsh now that I think about it.

"Then he could have... done something else... Kidnapping seems a bit harsh, don't you think?" I saw that Vait was smirking now.

"Oh please Ziggs, we both know that you would blow up the entire city if it would save me from something." I raised my finger to argue, but then I realised that he was probably right. So I just grinned as well.

"Yeah, I guess that's true..." Well, maybe I wouldn't blow the WHOLE city up, but a good portion of it at least!

"Yep, it's quite funny what people are willing to do to save their loved ones, right?" He smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Agreed! Now then..." I turned towards the green yordle and rubbed the back of my head.

"I guess I'll have to apologize, eh? I can get a liiiittle carried away when it comes to Vait, so I wanted to explode stuff first and then ask questions. Sooo... sorry!" He shook his head.

"No, it's alright. It's not like I didn't kidnap him. So I should be sorry for all the trouble I caused."

"All good! Oh, almost forgot! I'm Ziggs!" I held out my hand and he chuckled quietly.

"Haha, I got that much! Nice to meet you, Ziggs!" He shook my hand.

"Great, now that we got that out of the way... What's the problem? Whose life is at stake?"

"It's my brothers... He suddenly fell into a coma and I didn't know what to do, so I asked Vait for help."

"Weeell, you came to the right yordle! There's no way that a simple coma will defeat the awesome potions of Vait! Riiight?" I looked at Vait and he nodded.

"Yep yep... But now that I think about it... Your timing is pretty good, Ziggs!" He came closer and smiled brightly.

"I know, haha! But care to explain why exactly?" He suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me to the door.

"Because you can help me with that potion! We'll be right back, Ezyo!" And with those words we ran outside.

"Heeey whoa, slow down a little, cutie! Or at least let me run myself, haha!"

"Oh, right, sorry!" He let go of my arm, but continued running. So I followed him and asked him once more.

"So I can help you? How so? I thought I'd be too distracting to help you?"

"Yeah, but you can do something else! I have already decided which potion I'll make, and I think I should have everything at home... Well, everything but one ingredient. And that's where you come into play! This ingredient is pretty rare, but one of the places where it grows is this forest!"

"I see, and you want me to get that for you?"

"Exactly! I would've asked Ezyo to do it, but I was a little scared to let him go alone. It looks like he hasn't slept much if at all. So if you accompany him while I prepare all the other stuff for the potion I'd feel much better!" Aww, it's always so cute to see how much that little guy cares about others!

"Sure, count me in!"

"Great! But I have another question."

"Ask away!"

"Well... How did you know that I was in danger? I mean he didn't knock me out for that long, did he?"

"He knocked you out?"

"Yes, but that's not important anymore, please answer."

"Okay... Well, there were several things! The first thing was that you didn't write a letter after one day! I probably would have gone to Bandle after that already, because I know that you would never forget a promise like that, but Rumble talked me out of it. The next hint was from Neeko actually. She said that your 'Sho'ma' felt weird somehow, and at that point I knew something was wrong! Once I got to Bandle and saw that everyone was fine, you were gone and no one knew where you were I knew that you were in danger!"

"Okay, I see... Well, thank you for worrying about me that much." He smiled happily and I grinned back.

"But of course! I'm your knight in shining Armor, I would never let anyone hurt you!"

"I know... But Ziggs? You did tell Angela that you were going here, right?"

"Uhm... Yeaaah... About that..."

"You didn't?! You know what could happen if they find out, right? They could throw you out of the League!"

"Hah, no way! Up until now I have never done anything wrong in the League. One small incident won't be enough to justify kicking me out! I'll probably just have to clean the cafeteria for a week or something! Haha!" At least I hope so...

"... Still, you should have just told Angela..."

"You really think 'Vait hasn't written a letter and Neeko said his Sho'ma felt weird' are reasons enough to let me go? I don't think so... And don't forget that Angela still has to ask the big guys, which can take a little while. So I just had to do it." I looked at him, but it seemed like this answer didn't satisfy him.

"Hey now... You said it yourself, didn't you? Sometimes we do all kinds of reckless stuff to help our loved ones, right? Even if I'll get punished in some way, I'm just glad that you are save." He then suddenly stopped and hugged me briefly.

"You are adorable, you know that?"

"Eh, I try my best~ But how about we wait till we've helped Ezyos brother for that kinda stuff?"

"You're right! Let's continue!" He let go and we started walking again. It took a little while, but we finally reached Bandle. We headed straight towards Vaits house. And once we got there, we were immediately greeted by Vaits father who sounded really relieved.

"Ah, I see you found him, Ziggs! Where were you, Vait? I was pretty worried when Ziggs told me that you were missing!"

"Hi dad! Glad to see that you're doing better! It's... A rather long story... But don't worry about it! It's all good now! However, we have to do something right now, so we have no time for talking right now. Sorry!"

"I see, just be save, okay?"

"You know me, dad! I'll always try my best to not get into trouble" Vait smiled and quickly hugged his father before we went to his room.

"Now... Let's see... What could be useful for this potion...?" He dashed around and basically bombarded me with vials, equipment and ingredients. Even I had a little bit of trouble catching everything, but I managed.

"Say... Is that potion hard to make?" It looked like he got all the materials that he needed, because he was looking through his bookshelf now. Thankfully, because I don't think that I could carry much more.

"Kinda... It is one of the harder potions to brew, but it also is one of the strongest. Perfect for this scenario... Now, where is it...?" He quickly looked through all the books and then he picked one up that seemed to be the right one.

"There we go! I think this is everything we need!" He turned around happily, but once he looked at me he tilted his head.

"Uhm... Should I take some of your stuff or...?"

"Nah, it's fine! We'll just have to run a little bit slower, no problem-o!"

"Well, if you say so... Just make sure that you don't drop anything, alright?"

"Have I ever dropped anything in my life?"

"Nooo, neveeer!" Vait grinned and rolled with his eyes. After that we made our way back to Ezyos home. It took a lot longer than before, and I was not happy about that. But at least this time I had Vait to keep me company, so it wasn't that bad. But I was still glad when we finally reached our destination.

"Ugh, this took WAY too long! Next time we take the bus or something!"

"Oh riiight! How could we forget the bus that stops right at the only house in the forbidden woods?"

"Well, see? That's a market niche right there! We could get rich if we offer that!"

"It's a good thing that you choose to make bombs instead of analyzing the market..." Vait knocked on the door and Ezyo opened it.

"Ah, there you are. I was worried that you changed your minds."

"Nope, not at all!" We went inside and Vait immediately opened the book.

"Okay guys, I'll stay here and start working on the potion. You two need to get out there and get me this thing!" He pointed at a picture in the book. It looked like a beautiful red flower.

"'Red dream'?"

"Yep, that's the name of the flower. I need one of those for the potion. It's said that one of the few spots where this flower grows is this forest."

"I don't think I've ever seen one of those..."

"I've heard that you can find them if you go deep into this forest, where all the monsters are rumored to life. So that's why I think you two should go together, so it's safer."

"Hah, you really think the monsters are real? Those are just stories to keep the kids away from the woods so that they don't get lost!" I smiled brightly and nodded. That has to be the case, right?

"Well, I wouldn't be so sure about that... I've seen two or three monsters already... They certainly weren't as huge as I was told, but still. Who knows what lurks deeper inside?"

"I see... Guess they've exaggerated then. And even if there really are big monsters out there, they are no match for my bombs!"

"Sure, I know that Ziggs. Otherwise I wouldn't sent you out there." Vait smiled, closed the book and stood up.

"Now... I'll start with the potion now. It takes a lot of preparation, so I hope that I'll be finished by the time you two come back. Good luck!" He hugged me once more and then collected all the stuff and went upstairs. Ezyo and I left the house and I looked at him.

"Alrighty then friend! Lead the way!"


End file.
